Five new waste-to-energy plants to handle mixed trash

Five new waste-to-energy plants planned in the city will help deal with the mixed waste that’s choking Bengaluru, civic authorities believe.

A large chunk of mixed waste that ends up on landfill sites will be combusted and converted to energy at these plants. The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has mandated waste segregation at source in the city, aiming to achieve zero waste disposal at landfill sites. However, mixed waste from garbage black spots has remained a big problem.

Since there is no system to process this waste, the BBMP will carry it to waste-to-energy plants and convert it to energy.

A waste-to-energy plant is a waste management facility that combusts the waste to produce energy.

Bengaluru generates more than 5,000 metric tonnes of mixed waste, according to the BBMP. With the civic body resolving to achieve 100% waste segregation by November, the amount of mixed waste that goes to these plants may drastically reduce after that.

“While citizens must segregate waste, what might go to these plants will be mostly from garbage black spots,” a BBMP official said on the condition of anonymity. The BBMP is giving free land for setting up these plants to the contractors. It will remain revenue-neutral on this project.

Public opposition

Opposition from the public is one of the biggest challenges that the BBMP is currently facing in setting up these plants. People living in the vicinity of the proposed plants are opposing their establishment, saying these will emit poisonous gases and emanate foul smells.

The residents of Chikkanagamangala, where one of the new waste-to-energy plants is going to be set up, have already staged several protests.

BBMP officials conceded that they faced public opposition whenever new waste-to-energy plants were proposed.

They are not even sure whether all the new plants will take off.

Also, the Karnataka Pollution Control Board (KSPCB), which is quite strict in approving such projects, is yet to green-signal these plants.